Vector

From Computer Science Wiki

In computer science, a vector is a data structure that represents an ordered, dynamic array of elements. It's similar to an array, but it has the advantage of being able to dynamically resize its size as elements are added or removed.

A vector typically stores elements of the same data type, and provides operations to add, remove, or access elements. The size of a vector can change as elements are inserted or deleted, and it automatically reallocates memory as needed. This makes it a useful data structure for representing collections of objects or values that may change in size.

Some common operations provided by a vector data structure include:

  • Push back: Add an element to the end of the vector.
  • Pop back: Remove the last element from the vector.
  • Access: Retrieve an element from the vector by index.
  • Insert: Add an element to the vector at a specific position.
  • Delete: Remove an element from the vector by index.

Vectors are widely used in computer science, and are an important data structure in many programming languages, including C++, Python, and Rust, among others. They provide a convenient and flexible way to store and manipulate sequences of elements, and are often used in a variety of algorithms and data structures.